Lahaina Small Boat Harbor dredging starts June 1 

The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has scheduled regular maintenance dredging of the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor to begin Monday, June 1, 2026.

Over time, sediment accumulates and reduces harbor entrance depths, blocking safe vessel navigation and disrupting water flow. Routine dredging is necessary to ensure safe access for recreational, commercial and emergency vessels.

The targets for this dredging project are the original design depths of -13 feet for the harbor entrance channel and -10 feet for the harbor basin. All dredged material will be disposed at the landfill, due to the potential presence of debris from the 2023 wildfires in the sediment.

“The permitted commercial operations will continue without interruption during the dredging work,” said DOBOR Administrator Meghan Statts. “We have continued to engage with the operators and everyone is aware of the plans for the dredging. We appreciate the cooperation from the operators as well as the contractor to ensure that both operations can take place simultaneously.”

“Completing the work now gives us a rare opportunity to dredge the main harbor basin, which our records show was last done in 1966,” she added. “We typically only dredge the entrance channel where sediment build-up occurs, however, because of the ongoing restoration, we are taking advantage of the open space in the main harbor to dredge the basin as well. This would have been nearly impossible to do with a harbor occupied by all the vessels. When the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor fully re-opens, users will enjoy the benefits of restored harbor and channel depths.”

No facility closures are anticipated, however, the harbor parking area adjacent to the King Kamehameha III Elementary School lot, currently accommodating commercial operator vehicles, will be used for stockpiling dredged material. DOBOR staff is working with the commercial operators and the county to determine alternative parking arrangements during the construction period.

The contractor for the dredging work is American Marine Corporation. Construction completion is estimated for December 2026.